Electrocatalytic Activity For Formic Acid Oxidation Research Articles

Insights into the Electrooxidation Mechanism of Formic Acid on Pt Layers on Au Examined by Electrochemical SERS

The electrooxidation of formic acid (FA) on Pt has received great attention because of its fundamental significance as a model reaction and its technical importance in fuel cells. Pt layers modified on Au surfaces were recently reported to exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activity for FA oxidation; however, the mechanistic details have not been clearly elucidated. In this work, the mechanism of FA electrooxidation on Pt layers on Au surfaces was investigated via in situ electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). SERS-active DAR@Pt(n) substrates were prepared using the self-terminating electrodeposition of Pt on dendritic Au rod (DAR) surfaces, wherein the amount and coverage of Pt were precisely controlled by applying a different number of potential steps (n) during the electrodeposition process. The electrocatalytic activity of FA was highly dependent on the Pt coverage and thickness on DAR@Pt(n), which was investigated by electrochemical SERS. The amount of CO produced by the dehydration...

Preparation of Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pd-Au Catalyst and Their Electrocatalytic Activity for Formic Acid Oxidation

Naphthalen-1-ylmethylphosphonic acid was modified on multiwall carbon nanotube( MWCNT) by the π-π stacking interaction. Then,the Pd catalyst was supported on it. Furthermore,the MWCNT supported Pd-Au( Pd-Au/MWCNT) catalyst was facially prepared by the replacement reaction between Pd nanoparticles and HAuCl 4. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed that non-alloyed Pd-Au nanoparticles were highly dispersed on the surface of MWCNT. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric measurements indicated that the Pd-Au/MWCNT catalyst exhibited better electrocatalytic activity and stability for formic acid oxidation than that of the Pd/MWCNT catalyst.

The size-controlled synthesis of Pd/C catalysts by different solvents for formic acidelectrooxidation

The size-controlled synthesis of Pd/C catalyst for formic acid electrooxidation isreported in this study. By using alcohol solvents with different chain length in theimpregnation method, the sizes of Pd nanoparticles can be facilely tuned; thisis attributed to the different viscosities of the solvents. The results show thata desired Pd/C catalyst with an average size of about 3 nm and a narrow sizedistribution is obtained when the solvent is n-butanol. The catalyst exhibits largeelectrochemically active surface area and high catalytic activity for formic acidelectrooxidation.